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Brotherhood of Lordain
((WIP)) The national Order of Knighthood of the Kingdom of Lordaeron, the Brotherhood of Lordain, or Brunderschaft von Lordain in Lordaeronian, consisted of the kingdom's knightly classes and served as the heavy cavalry of the Lordaeron Army. History Structure Order of Lordain The original order of the Brotherhood, the Order of Lordain was formed by the nascent House of Menethil within a year of the end of the Civil War in the Empire. Claiming descent from the by then mythical hero, General Lordain, the Menethils quickly formed a sworn order of "Knights" or "Equites" as they were called in Arathi to protect their house's lands, which at that time consisted of the City of Lordaeron and the newly formed Grand Duchy of Tirisfal. The Order would continue and grow for the next few centuries as the cavalry and protectors of the Menethils, eventually being formed into the Brotherhood with the capture of the Grand Duchy of the Darrow and the surrender and submission of the House of Barov. The Order of Lordain used the Royal Arms of Menethil as their badge. Order of the Darrow Founded by the House of Barov at roughly the same time as the Order of Lordain, the Order of the Darrow was sworn to protect their lands in the Grand Duchy of the Darrow. Unlike the Order of Lordain, which favoured frontal assaults and heavy armor, the Knights of the Darrow were by comparison less armored, as the Barovs were more focused on the use of a combination of magi and infantry to win their battles, much like the Arathi Empire had done in the earlier centuries. Eventually, after roughly two centuries of sporadic warfare and border skirmishes, many which ended with slight territorial gains for the Menethils, although almost an equal number ended with the destruction of the Menethil armies by the Barov magi, the Barovs and the Knights of the Darrow would surrender during the Siege of Caer Darrow after their main army was destroyed by the combined might of the Menethils and the City State of Dalaran, who had been recruited by the Menethils to counter the Barov's magical advantage in return for lands and access to Lordamere Lake. Accepting the pledges of fealty given to them by the Barovs, the Menethils allowed the Order of the Darrow to continue its existence, but only as a member of their newly formed Brotherhood of Lordain. The Order of the Darrow used the arms of their Barov patrons, displaying a golden tome upon a purple field. This crest was intended to show the magical prowess of the Grand Duchy of the Darrow, as Caer Darrow itself was one of the larger centres of magic in the north. Order of the Pine Beginning as the personal soldiers of the House of Fenris, the rulers of Fenris Keep and the Grand Duchy of Silverpine, the Order of the Pine was tasked with guarding the forested lands of their overlords, which stretched from the northern mountains that bordered Tirisfal south to the north bank of the River Arevass, the lands across which were controlled by the nascent Kingdom of Gilneas. Unlike the leaders of the other realms that would eventually be annexed to form Lordaeron, the House of Fenris chose to join the kingdom willingly, seeing what had happened to the eastern House of Barov and also hopping for support against the inevitable expansion of Gilneas and the nascent Alterac Navy, which had begun to construct a small fleet upon the Lordamere. With their liege's pledge of vassalage, the Order of the Pine was soon brought into the growing Brotherhood, becoming its third order of knights. Like the other orders of the Brotherhood, the Knights of the Pine used the banner of their lords, in this case the Silverpine tree on green of the House of Fenris. Order of Hasic Originating from the Ordre de Baradin Chevaliers or the Order of Tower Knights of the Kingdom of Barad, the Order of Hasic was originally a small force of knights assigned to the protection of the Baradin Foothills and the city of Towerport, as the eastern Hillsbrad Foothills and the city of Hasic were once known. After around twenty years since the conquest of the Darrow and the unification with Silverpine, the Kingdom of Lordaeron set their eyes the Baradi kingdom, hoping to claim the prosperous Towerport for themselves. Immediately preparing a fleet of galleys upon the Darrowmere, the Menethils tasked the House of Fenris with the defence of their western border, while they and the Barovs levied an impressive army and marched it south down the Thondroril River, their fleet sailing with them. In response to this blatant act of aggression, the Baradi immediately raised their own army and the Order, bringing them to Towerport. At the same time, the Arathorian Legion marched through Thoradin's Wall, having secured pledges of renewed allegiance from the Baradi if they fought off the Lordaeronian threat. Eventually, although the Baradi-Stromic alliance had some notable victories, such as the destruction of the Lordaeronian Navy at the Battle of Towerport and the Burning of the Darrow, the large number of troops Lordaeron could bring to bear, along with the intervention of Alterac by conquering the western foothills and the raiding of the Southern Arathi Colonies by the Tirasi, would eventually force the capitulation of the alliance. With the resulting peace terms seceding the Eastern Foothills and the newly renamed HasicAfter the House de Hasic, a Baradi noble house who had defected to the Lordaeronians near the end of the war. to the Lordaeronians, the knights who hailed from the foothills were quickly merged into the Brotherhood, becoming the Order of Hasic after their new overlords. Thus the banner of the order displays a silver owl on a brown field, which were the arms chosen for the House de Hasic after their elevation to Grand Duke of Hillsbrad and marriage with the royal line. Order of the Holme Order of Tyr Unlike the other orders of the Brotherhood, the Order of Tyr was not formed as a knightly order, at least at first. Instead, it evolved from the temple guards of the numerous abbeys and chapelries scattered across the vast eastern reaches of the Eastweald, the most notable of which were the Abbey of Tyr in the eastern mountains and the Silver Basilica on the Thonmere to the north. These orders of guards would soon coagulate to form the Order of Tyr, which was to be sworn to the protection of the church from the many skirmishes and border wars which would sporadically erupt from the numerous petty kingdoms which made the forest their home. After the Lordaeronian conquest and annexation of many of these kingdoms, endeding with the fall of Duchy of Thonmere, the Church and its Clergy were impressed by the chivalrous actions of the Lordaeronian Army and the Brotherhood, most notably with the refusal to pillage the Silver Basilica during the Siege of Stratholme, and chose to allow their knights to join the Brotherhood as its chapter in the east, in return the Kingdom would protect the clergymen and allow them limited autonomy. Thus the Order of Tyr became the last major order to join the Brotherhood. Notably, unlike the other orders of the Brotherhood, which remained until its destruction and disbandment in the Third War, the Order of Tyr was dissolved after the Second War, with its members moving to other orders or joining the newly formed Silver Hand, which replaced the Order of Tyr in all but name. Much like its later successor and in reference to its namesake, the Order of Tyr displayed the Silver Hand of Tyr upon a blue background. Awards Grand Knight-Officers of Lordain The leaders of the Brotherhood and each of its Orders, the Grand Knight-Officers of Lordain were the most esteemed of their peers. Their insignia the cobalt and silver star of a Knight-Officer, embellished by a wreath and the double-headed eagle of Menethil. Knight-General The leader of the entire order, the Knight-General of Lordain led the entire Brotherhood, along with personally leading whichever order he hailed from. Lieutenant Knight-General The second-in-command of the Brotherhood, the Lieutenant Knight-General served as the right hand of the Knight-General and commanded his order when he was busy with the entire Brotherhood. Knight-Marshal Commanders of each order of the Brotherhood, the Knights-Marshal were experienced knights with years of service. They also commanded a chapter of the Order, typically that of their native Duchy. High Knight-Officers of Lordain The leaders of Chapters and Wings, High Knight-Officers of Lordain had served their order for years and were typically more experienced than their equivalent ranks in the infantry. Their insignia was a Knight-Officer's star with the eagle of Menethil, although it lacked the wreath of Grand Knight-Officers. Knight-Commander The leader of a Chapter, Knights-Commander were the highest rank of the High Knight-Officers. The most senior Knight-Commander of each Order served as the second-in-command of his Knight-Marshal. Lieutenant Knight-Commander Seconds-in-command of a Chapter, Lieutenant Knights-Commander led their Chapters when their Knight-Commander was captured, had other duties or injured. Knight-Major Commanders of a wing, Knights-Major were experienced Knights-Captain who had proven themselves capable of high-level leadership. Knight-Officers of Lordain Leaders of companies and apprentice officers, Knight-Officers were the junior commanders of the Brotherhood. Their insignia was an eight-pointed star of silver and cobalt. Knight-Captain The leader of a company, Knights-Captain had served many years in the Brotherhood and were veteran officers. The senior-most Knight-Captain of a wing would act as its second-in-command. Knight-Lieutenant Serving as the seconds-in-command of a company, Knights-Lieutenant were newly promoted ensigns who still required training in large-scale leadership. Knight-Ensign A new officer, Knights-Ensign had either been promoted from the ranks of the common Knights or had shown themselves worthy of officer-ship via an act of bravery. Knights-Steward of Lordain Known as "Stewards" due to their responsibility to take care of their Chapter, Order or the Brotherhood's keep, Knights-Stewards were some of the most experienced Knights of the Brotherhood and served as advisors to the Knight-Officers. Their insignia was a Knight's cross with a wreath and Menethil eagle. Chief Knight-Steward The Knight-Steward of the entire Brotherhood, the Chief Knight-Steward advised the Knight-General and was the most experienced of the non-officer knights in the Brotherhood. Head Knight-Steward Knight-Steward of an Order, there were only four Head Knights-Steward at once, as the Chief Knight-Steward was served as the Knight-Steward of the Knight-General's Order. Knight-Steward Serving as advisors of a Chapter, Knights-Steward were experienced Knights-Master who had also shown aptitude for administration. Knights-Master of Lordain Advisors to Knight-Officers and leaders of troops, Knights-Master were Knights who had shown an aptitude for leadership. Their insignia was a Knight's cross with the Menethil eagle. Chief Ridemaster The advisor to a Knight-Major and his wing, Chief Ridemasters were the most experienced of Knights-Master. Head Ridemaster The advisor of a company, Head Ridemasters were a valued addition to their captain's councils and some were the most experienced member of their company. Ridemaster The leader of a Troop, a Ridemaster was a Knight who had shown an aptitude for command. Unlike the other ranks, who were sometimes addressed with their standard army rank, Ridemasters were never to be addressed as "Sergeant" as they were knights, not commoners. Knights of Lordain The standard cavalrymen of the Brotherhood and leaders of minor Sections, the Knights of Lordain were some of the most experienced warriors of Lordaeron. Their insignia was a cobalt and silver knight's cross. Head Knight The leader of a section, Head Knights had shown the ability to command their fellows and thus were being trained further. Knight The "common soldiers" of the Brotherhood, Knights made up the majority of its members. They were the equivalent of a Gefreiter in the infantry. Squire New recruits and trainees, Squires were apprenticed to a Knight of Lordain so they could be trained in the ways traditions of the Brotherhood. Military Service Membership Membership of the Brotherhood was typically granted after the completion of a term as a squire, although it was also possible to be knighted via some form of heroic act. Squires were typically knighted by the knight they had squired for, while those who were being knighted for a heroic act would be knighted by a Knight-Commander, Knight-Marshal or even the Knight-General himself. Promotion was typically carried out in much the same way as knighting. Knights being promoted to any Knight or Knight-Master rank would be promoted by their Chapter Commander, while knights being promoted to a Knight-Steward or Knight-Officer rank would be promoted by their Order Commander. High Knight-Officers and Grand Knight-Officers were promoted by the Knight-General himself, while anyone being promoted to Knight-General was promoted by the King of Lordaeron. Distinctive Membership Notes Category:Organizations Category:Lordaeron Organizations Category:Kingdom of Lordaeron Category:Brotherhood of Lordain Category:Orders of Knighthood